Man, 53, dies while kayaking near Antelope Island

ANTELOPE ISLAND — A 53-year-old man was found dead near Antelope Island State Park Saturday.

While investigators said the man's death appeared to be a drowning, it is unclear if a medical issue was a factor.

A cyclist on the Antelope Island causeway saw an abandoned kayak and started looking in the water when he saw what he believed to be someone floating in the water, Davis County Sheriff’s Sgt. Jason Boydston said. The individual was about a half mile from the island’s harbor.

Boydston said employees from a nearby rental business pulled the man from the water and bystanders started CPR prior to emergency responders’ arrival.

The man was pronounced dead at the scene. Boydston did not know whether the man had been wearing a life preserver.

The man's name was withheld by authorities pending notification of family members. Boydston said the victim was from out of state and had rented the kayak from a location on the island. The man had rented the kayak around 2:30 p.m.

A call reporting a body in the water was made to dispatch around 3:40 p.m.

"It's possible it could be a medical issue, because we don't know his history," Boydston said of the victim. "It looked to be (a drowning), but not knowing his medical history, it's hard to know."

The sergeant said the body was turned over to the Utah Medical Examiner's Office who will perform an autopsy to determine the cause of death. Boydston said no one saw anything prior to the cyclist spotting the man's body and that the incident remains under investigation.